In Senegal, abortion is illegal in all cases except to save the woman’s life; approval for inducing “therapeutic abortions” must come from three doctors, one of whom is independently assigned by the courts. Giving advice on where or how … Continued

Newborn infants found dead, often in public places, are most of the time the outcome of rape, incest or adultery. In February, the body of a three-day-old baby was found in a plastic bag under a truck in the … Continued

The Association of Women Jurists of Senegal continue to put pressure on the government for abortion to be legalised following rape and incest. Some 250 cases of rape of girls aged 13 to 18 years which led to a pregnancy in 52 cases were reported in the first 11 months of 2016 in Senegal. Of those, at least 25 were cases of incest followed by pregnancy, yet abortion on the grounds of rape and incest is not permitted.

Mainstream media sources have started a frank and nationwide conversation on the Maputo protocol and abortion. Le Populaire and many other sources have described the abortion rates as “alarming”. However, the media reports also seem to have picked up on the workshop’s main message – that given the reality of clandestine abortions, the country should legalise the practice.

L’autorisation de l’avortement médicalisé en cas de viol et d’inceste est toujours demandée par des organisations de la société civile sénégalaise. L’application de cette mesure permettra aux femmes violées de pouvoir se débarrasser de leur grossesse, sans courir certains risques.
(Legalisation of abortion in cases of rape and incest has long been called for by civil society organisations in Senegal because it would free women from a forced pregnancy without risk.)

She made this plea at a recent showing of her documentary film Congo, Un Médecin Pour Sauver les Femmes – a film that traces the work of Doctor Denis Mukwege, a Congolese gyneacologist and human rights activist who carries out restorative surgery.